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Senators News: November 24th; Binghamton 6, Bridgeport 1

-Binghamton crushed Bridgeport tonight in a game I was only able to see a little of. Cole Schneider scored the first two goals of his professional career, while Gryba also had a pair and Benoit and Grant had singles. Gryba lead the way with three points while Lehner picked up the win with 35 saves.

-Elmira got hammered 5-1 by South Carolina, with Cheverie taking the loss and Kramer and Caporusso picking up assists in the loss.

The first game I felt lost and didn’t know what to do. And the league is much tougher than in Sweden. But it’s coming more and more and I’m starting to feel good now. I was thinking about this before I came here, so I knew it was going to be hard, but I’m feeling better and better every game. I think it’s going to take some years. We’ll see. I have a three-year contract now, and we’ll see after that.

It’s a very realistic outlook from Claesson whose play has noticeably improved already. Luke Richardson added:

He’s a good kid, and he’s done really well. Every day, he’s the first guy who comes over and asks, ‘What can I work on?’ He has a real positive attitude and everybody loves him. He’s a bit of a character. It’s nice to get him here when he’s young. It gives him a chance to work on his game and hopefully he can graduate as soon as possible.

Speaking of Richardson, he and his players talked about his start as a coach in the AHL. Patrick Wiercioch said:

A lot of the coaches who have had success in the NHL have had good relationships with their players, and I think that’s why we’re having success right now. A lot of the time, when you think you’re the only one going through something, and you talk to (Richardson) about it, he can relate to it and tell you stuff he did to get through certain weeks, certain months. You take it to heart more when you see what he did, because to have the career he did is something we all want.

Richardson himself said:

I like to create relationships and have fun with the guys and have them feel comfortable that they can joke with me and talk to me about everyday stuff. But when I’m on the ice and I blow the whistle and I’m a little huffy, I have to have their respect and they have to listen to me. And even if they’re a little upset with me, that’s normal, that’s fine. But the next day I’m going to be over it, and hopefully they’re over it. And if they’re not over it, then it’s not my problem, it’s their problem. They can come and talk about a situation that we disagree about, and we still may disagree even after we’ve talked, but at least we’ve talked about it. And I think that relationship has been good, so far. In the NHL, there are lot of people around to look after the players and get them where they need to be. Down here, you have to do all that. And the players are younger, too, so you have to remind them more. They’re almost like teenagers. It’s not just coaching. I’m trying to help these players reach their goals and dreams as fast as they possibly can, and if they’re willing to put the work in, I’m willing to help them get there.

Things are definitely looking good, especially considering BIngo is in what is generally the hardest division in the AHL. And unlike other teams (cough Oklahoma cough) are success is not due entirely to players who should be in the NHL.